Folding and reclining chair.



PATENTED JUNE 20,1905.

0. KOMPF.

FOLDING AND RECLINING CHAIR.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 61 1904.

' and operation which are hereinafter described,

Patented June 20, 1905..

PATENT Fries.

CHARLES KOMPF, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

FOLDING AND RECLINING CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 792,712, dated Jupe 20, 1905. Application filed September 6, 190 1. Serial No. 223,481.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, UHARLns KoMPF, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding and Reclining Chairs, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in chairs, having particular reference to folding and reclining chairs.

My object is to produce a chair in which the back is detachable from the base and the back adapted to be folded-separately, so as to occupy a minimum amount of space, my further object being to produce a construction whereby the pivoted back may be held at various angles to the plane of the seat, cheap and durable in construction, of great utility; and to that end my invention consists in the several new and novel features of construction and specifically set forth in the claims hereunto annexed. It is constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an isometric view of the chair complete and ready for use. Fig. 2 is a view of the back and base folded and placed together. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the chair anywhere inside of the legs.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

The folding base comprises pairs of legs 1 and 2, pivoted upon a common rung 3, each pair of legs having cross-bars 4 adjacent their lower end. The legs 2 are also provided with a crossbar 5, secured to their upper edge and below the point at which they are pivoted to the legs 1, and has its ends extending beyond the legs 2, forming an abutment 6 in the pathway of the action of the legs 1 to hold the legs in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The upper ends of the legs 1 upon their upper faces are provided with ratchets 7 for the purpose hereinafter specified.

The upper ends of the legs 3 are provided with dowel-pins'8 for the purposes hereinafter specified.

9 is a frame forming the seat, having the usual cross-bars 10, the under face of the side bars having openings 11, adapted to engage with the dowel-pins 8.

The rear ends of the side bars are provided with inwardly-extending pins 12. The forward end of the side bar of the seat-frame is hinged to the upper end of the legs by the pieces 13, which allows the forward end of the seat-frame to be raised a short distance above and free from the upper ends of the legs 1, so that when it is desired to fold the base the forward end of the seat-frame will be raised sufficiently to allow the seat-frame to pass over to one side, so as to permit of its resting upon the edge of the legs in their folded position, as shown in Fig. 3.

The folding back comprises a frame having side rails 14: with the usual cross-bars at the top and bottom, and adjacent the lower end are provided with slotways 15, which are adapted to engage with the pins 12 in the seat-frame, thereby forming the pivot upon which the back of the chair swings. To the lower end of the side bars 1 1 and upon the inner faces thereof I pivot at 16 a frame consisting of side bars 17, having a cross-bar 18 at the rear and an end piece 19 at the front end. This cross end piece 19 extends upon either side a sufficient distance to enable it, when placed in position, to engage with the ratchets 7 and terminates in handpieces 20 upon the end, by which it may be operated.

To place the back of the chair in position, I first place it in such a position that the slots 15 will engage with the pins 12. Ithen raise the rear end of the seat-frame sufliciently to allow the end piece 19 to pass between it and the upper ends of the feet 2, so that the frame 17, having the cross-bar 19 thereon, will drop into the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The cross-piece 19, being angular at its ends, engages the ratchets 7.

hen I desire to cause the back to be in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 or at any intermediate angle, I simply raise the bar 19 by means of the handpieces 20 and allow it to engage with any one of the ratchets higher up on the legs 1. It will be seen that this may be accomplished by sitting in the chair. To straighten the back up, the reverse motion takes place.

It will be observed that it is not necessary to have the cross-bar 5 extend clear across, so

as to connect the legs 2 for the purpose of forming the abutment 6 to limit the movement of the legs 1, but that upon each side of the legs 2 I may secure a shoulder which will limit the expanding movement of the legs with relation to each other.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A folding chair comprising pairs of legs pivoted to each other, one pair of legs having a cross-bar to limit the movement of the opposite pair, said opposite pair being provided with ratchets at one end, a seat-frame hinged to one of the pairs of legs and a back adapted to be pivoted to the rear end of the seat-frame and having pivoted at its lower end a frame having an end piece adapted to engage with the ratchets, as set forth.

2. A folding chair comprising pairs of legs having a cross-bar to limit the movement of the opposite pair, said opposite pair being provided with ratchets at one end,a seat-frame loosely hinged to one of the pairs of legs so as to fold down and rest upon the said legs when the base is in its folded position, and a back adapted to be pivoted to the rear end of the seat-frame and having pivoted to its lower end a frame having an end piece adapted to engage with the ratchets, as set forth.

3. A folding chair comprising pairs of legs pivoted to each other, one pair of legs having means to limit the movement of the opposite pair, said opposite pair being provided with ratchets at one end, a seat-frame hinged to one end of the pairs of legs and a back having a slotway in the rear edge of its side rails adapted to engage with the pin in the seat, and a frame pivoted to the lower end of the back having a front cross-piece angular in crosssection adapted to engage with the ratchets, substantially as described for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of August, 1904.

CHAS. KOMPF.

Witnesses:

HOWARD P. DIJNISON, M. M. NOTT. 

